1/209. Systemic infection with Alaria americana (trematoda).Alaria americana is a trematode, the adult of which is found in mammalian carnivores. The first case of disseminated human infection by the mesocercarial stage of this worm occurred in a 24-year-old man. The infection possibly was acquired by the eating of inadequately cooked frogs, which are intermediate hosts of the worm. The diagnosis was made during life by lung biopsy and confirmed at autopsy. The mesocercariae were present in the stomach wall, lymph nodes, liver, myocardium, pancreas and surrounding adipose tissue, spleen, kidney, lungs, brain and spinal cord. There was no host reaction to the parasites. Granulomas were present in the stomach wall, lymph nodes and liver, but the worms were not identified in them. hypersensitivity vasculitis and a bleeding diathesis due to disseminated intravascular coagulation and a circulating anticoagulant caused his death 8 days after the onset of his illness.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = spinal cord, spinal, cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/209. cricoid cartilage necrosis after arytenoidectomy in a previously irradiated larynx.Several open and endoscopic surgical techniques are available to provide an adequate airway for patients with bilateral vocal cord paralysis. Transoral laser arytenoidectomy has repeatedly been reported to be a reliable and effective minimally invasive procedure for airway restoration. To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of serious complications, other than poor vocal results, aspiration, and failed decannulation in individual patients, that have resulted from this intervention. We report a case in which arytenoidectomy led to severe complications and death. Prior irradiation is suspected to be a causative factor. To prevent such an outcome, we believe that operative settings should be chosen that avoid deep thermal injury of the laryngeal framework.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.07669581688907keywords = cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/209. Hepatocellular carcinoma with spontaneous regression of multiple lung metastases.Spontaneously regressed lung metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a 82-year-old Japanese man with liver cirrhosis was recorded. Multiple nodular lesions of both lungs, up to 1 cm across, were shown on chest X-ray when the clinical diagnosis of HCC was made because of the presence of a liver mass on abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan and high serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) value. The lung lesions which were regarded clinically as metastasis of HCC decreased in number and size 7 months later, and subsequently disappeared a further 7 months radiographically. However, the liver mass revealed no reduction on abdominal CT, despite normalization of the serum AFP value, and the patient died 7 months after the disappearance of the lung lesions. The patient refused biopsy for the liver mass and anticancerous treatment during the course of the disease. At autopsy, the liver mass, 13 cm in diameter, histologically featured moderately differentiated HCC. Only one metastasis, 0.5 cm across, was obvious in the left lower lung lobe. In addition, there were 14 minute lesions in both lungs, up to 0.2 cm across, including three with complete necrosis and 11 with histocytic reaction and fibrosis. The necrotic tissue was filled with large ghostly cells that appeared to be debris from a neoplastic tissue, regardless of no viable tumor cells among them. The clinical and autopsy findings highly suggested that the patient developed spontaneous regression of multiple lung metastases of HCC and subsequently left the very small lesions as the vestige. Thus, the histology of these lesions may exhibit a process of the regression as the sequence of events, i.e., a transition from necrosis of the metastatic HCC to its fibrosis. Presence of an effective factor(s) in relation to the regression was unclarified. There has been no reported cases with regression of the only metastasis of HCC in the literature to date.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.07669581688907keywords = cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/209. Progressive necrotic myelopathy: clinical course in 9 patients.OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings of 9 patients who had progressive idiopathic myelopathy with evidence of spinal cord necrosis. DESIGN AND methods: We reviewed personally examined cases of myelopathy that fulfilled the following criteria: (1) regional loss of reflexes, flaccidity, and muscle atrophy; (2) magnetic resonance imaging showing a shrunken or cavitated cord without evidence of arteriovenous malformation; (3) electromyogram showing denervation over several contiguous spinal cord sgements with preservation of sensory potentials in some cases; and (4) the absence of evidence of systemic disease or neoplasm. RESULTS: The illness began in these patients after the age of 40 years, with prominent burning or tingling limb pain, occasionally with radicular features or with less well-defined back, neck, or abdominal pain. Leg or infrequently arm weakness appeared concurrently or soon after the onset of pain. The most distinctive feature was a saltatory progression of symptoms, punctuated by both acute and subacute worsenings approximately every 3 to 9 months, culminating in paraplegia or tetraplegia. The distinguishing clinical findings, together indicative of destruction of gray matter elements of the cord, were limb atrophy, persistent areflexia, and flaccidity. The concentration of cerebrospinal fluid protein was typically elevated between 500 g/L and 1000 g/L, without oligoclonal bands, accompanied infrequently by pleocytosis. magnetic resonance imaging showed features suggesting cord necrosis, specifically swelling, T2-weighted hyperintensity, and gadolinium enhancement over several spinal cord segments, succeeded months later by atrophy in the same regions. necrosis of the cord was found in biopsy material from one patient and postmortem pathology in another case, but inflammation and blood vessel abnormalities were absent. Only 2 patients had prolonged visual evoked responses. The disease progressed despite immune-modulating treatments although several patients had brief epochs of limited improvement. CONCLUSIONS: The saltatory course, prolonged visual evoked responses in 2 patients, and a cranial abnormality on magnetic resonance imaging in another, raised the possibility of a link to multiple sclerosis. However, the normal cranial magnetic resonance imaging scans in 6 other patients, uniformly absent oligoclonal bands, and poor response to treatment were atypical for multiple sclerosis. On the basis of shared clinical and laboratory features, idiopathic progressive necrotic myelopathy is indistinguishable from a limited form of Devic disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3.4650783890244keywords = spinal cord, spinal, cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/209. In utero development of hypertensive necrotizing pulmonary arterial lesions: report of a case associated with premature closure of the ductus arteriosus and pulmonary hypoplasia.Premature closure of the ductus arteriosus (PCDA) is an uncommon defect in which pulmonary hypertension (PH) has been documented by echocardiography in patients and by direct measurement after experimental PCDA in animals. The pulmonary vascular histology in human cases has received little attention but in the few recorded observations the vessels were either normal or showed increased muscularity. We report the case of a 31 week hydropic female stillborn monozygotic twin in whom postmortem examination disclosed PCDA and hypoplasia of the lungs. Atypical plexiform lesions with necrotizing pulmonary arteritis were present. These lesions represent vascular consequences of severe pulmonary hypertension produced by greatly enhanced blood flow through a restricted vascular bed resulting from the combined effects of these two abnormalities. The findings in this case of PCDA with presumed severe PH indicate that severe pulmonary vascular changes can develop in utero and that the interval of time needed for development of such chances in secondary PH is relatively short.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.07669581688907keywords = cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/209. Pneumomediastinum in dermatomyositis: association with cutaneous vasculopathy.OBJECTIVES: To study the pathogenesis of pneumomediastinum in polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM). patients AND methods: The clinical records of 48 patients with PM/DM were reviewed, focusing mainly on the presence of pneumomediastinum and cutaneous vasculopathy, and the chest radiographic changes. A patient with pneumomediastinum with a characteristic change in his bronchus is described in detail. case reports of pneumomediastinum in PM/DM in English publications are reviewed. RESULTS: Among the 48 patients with PM/DM, pneumomediastinum was observed as a complication in four patients with DM and none of the patients with PM. Three of the four patients with pneumomediastinum, but only six of the 44 patients without this complication, had associated cutaneous vasculopathy. There was a significant association of pneumomediastinum with cutaneous vasculopathy (p = 0.02) and younger age (p = 0.04), but not with the prevalence of lung disease. A 30 year old man (patient 1) with DM, who had interstitial pneumonitis and skin ulceration due to vasculopathy, developed pneumomediastinum. Fibreoptic bronchoscopy showed white plaques on the bronchial mucosa, which were confirmed by microscopic examination as representing subepithelial necrosis. A literature review showed 13 cases of DM but no patient with PM with pneumomediastinum. CONCLUSIONS: In patient 1, bronchial necrosis due to vasculopathy was strongly suspected as being responsible for the pneumomediastinum. The results suggest that pneumomediastinum was associated not with interstitial pneumonitis but with the complication of vasculopathy appearing as skin lesions in DM.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.07669581688907keywords = cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/209. Infantile bilateral striatal necrosis following measles.A previously healthy 4-year-old boy presented with typical measles and demonstrated lesions confined to basal ganglia. The clinical symptoms were an abrupt onset, impaired consciousness and mutism, extrapyramidal signs and severe neurovegetative dysfunction. No modification of the cerebrospinal fluid was observed; laboratory tests were all normal with the exception of a positive serologic test for measles. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed abnormal signals in the striatum, affecting the putamen and the caudate nuclei bilaterally. Neurologic improvement occurred within 2 months, with regression of lesions on cranial imaging, suggesting that edema played an important role in the initial stage of the disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.1582951214681keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/209. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy with cystic brain stem necroses and thalamic calcifications in a preterm twin.A severe and rare ischemic brain lesion in a preterm twin boy is reported. The boy was born after two weeks of anhydramnios and amnionic infection at 24 weeks of gestation. Following a difficult Caesarean section and prolonged umbilical cord compression he developed prenatal acidosis with an umbilical cord pH of 6.96. At the age of 7 h, heart rate variability narrowed due to severely disturbed brain stem function and the patient developed clinical signs of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Sonography demonstrated extensive symmetrical brain stem and basal ganglia lesions. After a prolonged comatose and apneic state, death occurred at the age of 25 days. autopsy confirmed columnar bilateral cavitation of basal ganglia, diencephalon, brain stem and spinal gray matter, as well as focal calcifications in the palladium, thalamus, and brain stem. The findings highly resemble those observed after experimental or clinical cardiac arrest.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.31168675524624keywords = spinal, cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/209. Graft failure in human donor corneas due to transmission of herpes simplex virus.AIM: To report the clinical consequences of contamination of human donor corneas by herpes simplex virus (HSV) in organ culture. methods: Two patients without previous history of ocular HSV infection underwent penetrating keratoplasty (PK), one for keratoconus and the other for fuchs' endothelial dystrophy. One patient suffered primary graft failure while the other developed a persistent epithelial defect, ultimately resulting in graft failure. Viral culture of swabs taken from both corneas during the early postoperative period was undertaken. The failed donor corneas were examined histopathologically by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for HSV-1 antigens, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HSV dna. Both failed corneas were replaced within 6 weeks of the initial surgery. The records of the fellow donor corneas were also examined for evidence of infection. RESULTS: HSV was cultured from both corneas during the early postoperative period. histology of both donor corneas demonstrated a thickened corneal stroma with widespread necrosis of keratocytes and loss of endothelial cells. IHC showed keratocytes positive with antibodies to HSV-1 antigens. TEM demonstrated HSV-like viral particles within degenerating keratocytes. PCR performed on the failed corneal grafts was positive for HSV-1 dna, whereas PCR performed on the excised host corneal buttons was negative in both patients. Records of the fellow donor corneas showed that one cornea was successfully transplanted into another recipient after 18 days in organ culture, whilst the other was discarded because of extensive endothelial cell necrosis noted after 15 days in organ culture. CONCLUSION: HSV within a donor cornea may cause endothelial destruction in organ culture and both primary graft failure and ulcerative keratitis after transplantation. Endothelial necrosis of a donor cornea in culture also raises the possibility of HSV infection within the fellow cornea.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.15339163377814keywords = cord (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/209. Lumbar paraspinal myonecrosis after abdominal vascular surgery: a case report.STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVES: Lumbar paraspinal myonecrosis after abdominal vascular surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Lumbar paraspinal myonecrosis does not appear to have been reported previously. methods: A patient who had severe back pain after abdominal vascular surgery was observed with computed tomographic scans and histologic examination of a specimen obtained in open biopsy. RESULTS: Computed tomographic scans of the lumbar region demonstrated muscle swelling of the unilateral paraspinal compartment. Histologic examinations of affected muscle revealed fresh ischemic necrosis. A compartmental syndrome was considered from the patient's clinical presentation and radiographic and histologic features. An accompanying secondary infection led to an extensive abscess in the paraspinal compartment. The patient resumed active daily life after aggressive debridements of infected and necrotic muscles. CONCLUSIONS: A compartmental syndrome in the paraspinal muscle should be kept in mind as a potential cause of acute back pain especially after abdominal vascular surgery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.4246560932129keywords = spinal (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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